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I have a rule that you can not jump off my boat with out a life jacket on or in your hand. I do not allow swimming without something on or in your hand.

I did do a bone head move a few weeks ago camping. I anchor off shore and had to swim to go get my bow line. (No life jacket on) I got tired and could not swim anymore. I had to float on my back until I got my breath back. The entire time I'm thinking to myself how stupid I was for doing that.

I really go by 2 schools of thought on this one:
if you are just jumping in to cool off or take a leak, I'm fine with no jacket on. that's your call as to whether or not you think you can float around for 5 minutes and not go under with a boatload of people around you.
if you are jumping in and plan on swimming around and venturing more than 10ft or so away, then I recommend you put on a jacket, but again, I leave that up to the individual.

we have docks at the lake I frequent and I spend hours in a day jumping in the water to cool off and don't ever wear a jacket, but the occasions that I have had to swim to another dock or across a small cove, I jacket it up.

I really leave it up to the individual person. I know my limits and think that others should know theirs.

When I was a kid my my dad took my sister and i swimming. The place was called indian Lake, the name has changed many times over the years. As I was swimming I felt something brush up agains me. I told my dad and he felt around and pulled this guy out of the water. He called for a life gaurd and they got him on a board and brought him to shore. I will never forget what that guy looked like, he was swelled up and blue and puple. The water depth was only chest deep on an adult and that guy still died. I guss that is why I am so anal.

yz2, honestly, I don't know how you ever got back in the water. That's beyond comprehension.

Lake Lanier is beautiful but can be a scary place. There were 17 deaths on that lake last year. It's claimed to be the busiest man-made lake in the Southeast and is frequented by many inexperienced people and has such a huge array of watercraft from kayaks to 40ft cabin cruisers to houseboats and many of the dreaded jet skis.

Thanks guys for the thoughts. Certainly has made me re-evaluate my rules.

Sandm: I am on the same line of thinking you are. I think it is extremely important for everyone to be well aware of their limits. But its the children that we all need to be mindful of. Even us adults can overestimate ourselves. I remember two years ago swimming up on Lake Hartwell after I jumped off one of their cliffs maybe 50 yards. The water was kinda rough for some reason and while I didn't get into any trouble, it did make me tired. I thought at that point that this is how people drown and ever since then you will rarely see me swim any distance without at least a light ski vest on.

Zabooda: Interesting you bring that up, in one of the articles the Fire Chief in Hall County (Where Lake Lanier is located) said that a person can die of hypothermia within an hour in 50 degree water. Almost doesn't sound possible, but I think the point of being safe around water remains the same.

from reading all this it seems im way to relaxed on this subject. i dont really have any rules for this and have never even given it thought. most of the time when we anchor and jump in to swim people want a jacket or something to float on without anyone having to tell them, it just makes it easier to handle your beer when you dont have to tread water the whole time.

when people jump in to cool off or pee thee usually never get too far from the boat or just hang off the swim platform.

hell i hung off the platform while we idled through a no wake zone to relieve myself...i know some of yall are thinking im an idiot right now haha